PS Alexander Hamilton

PS Alexander Hamilton on the Hudson River, 1933
History
United States
Name: Alexander Hamilton
Owner: Hudson River Day Line
Operator:
Route: Hudson River between New York City and Albany, New York (until 1948)
Builder: Bethlehem Shipbuilding Corporation
In service: 1924 (1924)
Out of service: 1971 (1971)
Fate: Sank in storm, November 1977
Notes: Ruins still partially visible however wreckage is within the security region of Naval Weapons Station Earle
General characteristics
Type: Passenger steamboat
Length: 349 ft 5 in (106.50 m)[1]
Beam: 77 ft (23 m)
Draught: 8 ft 4 in (2.54 m)
Draft: 13 ft 6 in (4.11 m)
Decks: 4 total, 3 complete and 1 partial
Installed power: Four Scotch marine boilers
Propulsion: Incline triple expansion engine
Capacity: 3,000
Location near Naval Weapons Station Earle
Middletown, New Jersey
Coordinates 40°25′19″N 74°2′6″W / 40.42194°N 74.03500°W / 40.42194; -74.03500Coordinates: 40°25′19″N 74°2′6″W / 40.42194°N 74.03500°W / 40.42194; -74.03500
Built 1924 (1924)
Architect Bethlehem Shipbuilding Corporation
Demolished November 8, 1977 (1977-11-08)
NRHP Reference # 77000887[1]
NJRHP # 1960[2]
Significant dates
Added to NRHP March 25, 1977 (1977-03-25)[1]
Designated NJRHP October 22, 1976 (1976-10-22)

Alexander Hamilton was a steamer built for the Hudson River Day Line[3] in 1924. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places on March 25, 1977. The remains of the vessel are located adjacent to the Naval Weapons Station Earle pier in Middletown Township, Monmouth County, New Jersey, United States.

History

The Hudson River Day Line used Alexander Hamilton to transport passengers along the Hudson River between New York City and Albany, New York.[4] In her later years the run was shortened to a turnaround in Poughkeepsie. The steamer was built by the Bethlehem Shipbuilding Corporation in 1924.[5] The steamer operated from 1924 to 1971, first running with other Day Line Steamers, including the Peter Stuyvesant until the 1960s, when the company was purchased by the Circle Line, and became a one boat operation. She was over 300 feet in length and was built to handle more than 3,000 passengers. Her replacement was the passenger vessel Dayliner, which took over the run. Alexander Hamilton spent time at the South Street Seaport and Brooklyn Navy Yard before being moved to Atlantic Highlands, New Jersey. In 1977, the Alexander Hamilton was moved to a temporary berth along the east side of the Navy pier in Middletown Township. During a storm, she caught fire and sank next to the pier on November 8, 1977.

Design

The steamer's propulsion system consisted of four Scotch marine boilers delivering steam to an inclined triple expansion engine that turned a crankshaft attached to feathering paddle-wheels on the port and starboard sides. She was the last of the great Day Line "side-wheelers", and the last of her kind to ply the Hudson River.

See also

References

  1. 1 2 3 "Alexander Hamilton" (PDF). National Park Service. United States Department of Interior. Retrieved 28 April 2015.
  2. "New Jersey and National Registers of Historic Places" (PDF). NJ DEP - Historic Preservation Office. State of New Jersey. Retrieved 28 April 2015.
  3. http://www.newyorker.com/archive/1966/06/04/1966_06_04_029_TNY_CARDS_000284432 Accessed March 30, 2010.
  4. http://www.hrmm.org/steamboats/dayline/dayline1920.html Accessed March 30, 2010.
  5. "Sidewheels on the Hudson". Scuba Diving - New Jersey & Long Island New York. Retrieved 16 November 2010.
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